MO HB2230

Charter schools are independent public schools that may operate only in metropolitan or urban school districts with populations greater than 350,000 inhabitants and may be sponsored by school boards, public universities, community colleges, or private colleges with teacher education programs.

Sponsors may not charge fees for charter applications and must retain 1.5% of state and local funding (capped at $125,000, adjusted for inflation) to cover sponsorship expenses, unless the sponsor is a school district or state board of education.

Charter school governing boards must conduct criminal background checks and child abuse registry checks on all board members and employees, and board members are subject to financial disclosure requirements as decision-making public servants.

If a charter school loses its sponsor or has its charter revoked, the governing board and local school district may enter into a contract to continue operations as a school site of the local district, with instructional employees remaining employed by the former charter school but meeting all state licensure and certification requirements.

Charter schools must be nonsectarian, comply with state health and safety standards, provide annual audits and financial reports, and design methods to measure student progress toward state academic standards through assessments and annual report cards.